India | Updated Dec 09, 2007 at 10:45pm IST

B'lore Prison starts salsa classes for inmate

Shweta Ganesh Kumar, CNN-IBN

Bangalore: Latino dances have been the flavour of the season for quite some time now. In Bangalore, however, the latest Salsa converts are a group of prisoners in the city's Central Jail.

As the prisoners groove to Latino numbers, their only regret is that the world will not be able to see their new-found talent for a long time to come.

The prisoners of the Bangalore Central Jail, who are learning Salsa as part of a new initiative undertaken by the prison authorities, are more than loving the dance sessions.

"We forget all our sorrows and feelings. When we concentrate on our dance, we are in a different world," says a prison inmate, Sharath, who’s serving a life sentence.

And the prison officials could not be less pleased with enthusiasm shown by the prisoners.

"It gives them mental peace. After their release they can teach this art and earn a livelihood," says jail’s Chief Superintendent V S Raja.

Teaching them the moves is choreographer Daniel Clifford. Clifford says his new bunch of students seem to have a flair for dancing.

"These people are more talented than actors. These people bring life to the dance," says Clifford.

The initiative takes a cue from the jails in Philippines where dance classes for the inmates have proved to be a huge hit. Prisoners' performances are in great demand on video sharing sites like You Tube.

Officials at the Bangalore Central Jail, hope this success story can be repeated here.

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